Government Policy, Continental Collaboration and the Diffusion of Open Source Software in China, Japan and South Korea

Abstract

The scale of development and deployment of open source software in the three North East Asian countries - China, Japan and South Korea - is large enough to be noticed at the global level. OSS has redefined the dynamics of software markets in the three countries and has brought significant structural changes in their software industries. Governments have played a pivotal role in the development of OSS industry in the region. Governments in the three countries have also created impetus for continental collaborations in OSS projects. This paper examines the roles and contributions of governments to the OSS initiative in the three countries in terms of a number of technology visions and goals.

Keywords: OSS, North East Asia, continental collaboration, government roles, China

JEL Classification: O33